Registered nurse is more of a broad term used to describe any nurse who has graduated from a postsecondary nursing program and passed the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX-RN. A pediatric nurse, on the other hand, is a registered nurse who either works in the pediatric unit of a health care facility or is certified in a pediatrics specialty, such as pediatric endocrinology or neonatology. The only way to truly compare the salaries of RNs and pediatric RNs is to first look at nursing positions, and then nursing specialties.

RN Salary Ranges

In 2012, the average registered nurse brought home $67,930 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But this figure doesn’t account for role or specialty. In general, RNs start out as staff nurses who deliver direct, nonsurgical patient care. A survey published in ''Nursing,'' a professional nursing journal, found staff nurses averaging $59,700 in 2011. Charge nurses, RNs in charge of hospital units, earned nearly 7 percent more, at an average of $63,700 a year. In time, charge nurses may become nurse managers, who supervise and recruit other nurses. In 2011, salaries averaged at $67,900 for this role.

Pediatrics Salaries

Nurses working in pediatrics tend to earn less than other unit types. Salaries for nurses in pediatric units averaged at $54,300 a year, according to the 2011 ''Nursing'' survey. Those working in nurseries or in OB-GYN units averaged $58,300 annually. It isn’t until an RN actually specializes in an area of medicine that salaries outpace those of both staff and charge nurses. For example, neonatal nurses averaged $74,000 a year, reports an article in “Scrubs” magazine. Pediatric endocrinology nurses earned 9 percent more than this, averaging $81,000 annually.

Contributing Factors

The increase in salary for subspecialties in nursing is largely due to the additional training and certifications necessary to work in these units. Neonatal nurses are usually certified in critical care neonatal nursing, which requires 24 months of specialty experience consisting of 2,000 hours of direct patient care. Pediatric endocrinology nurses may hold a couple certifications, such as pediatrics and endocrinology, and have completed continuing education courses in both areas of medicine.

Career Outlook

From 2010 to 2020, expect employment opportunities for registered nurses to be very good, with an average job growth of 26 percent. This is almost twice the rate of all U.S. occupations, a projected growth of 14 percent.

About the Author

Based in Minneapolis, Minn., Dana Severson has been writing marketing materials for small-to-mid-sized businesses since 2005. Prior to this, Severson worked as a manager of business development for a marketing company, developing targeted marketing campaigns for Big G, Betty Crocker and Pillsbury, among others.